You helped stop the Trans Mountain pipeline and tankers in the courts!

On August 30, we celebrated a major victory as the project’s approval was quashed by the Federal Court of Appeal. This court ruling is fantastic news for orca whales, for our climate, for Indigenous peoples defending their title and rights, and for the rights of all of us to defend the land and waters we love and call home.

And it happened in part thanks to the help of hundreds of people who stepped up in solidarity with First Nations by supporting our Pull Together campaign. With your help, we raised more than $650,000 for the nations fighting this project in court!

Take a moment to pat yourself on the back. First, we sent Kinder Morgan home to Texas, because the company knew this project was a sinking ship. Now, with your support, Indigenous peoples fought back – and won.

The court agreed with what we’ve been saying all along: that the National Energy Board review was deeply flawed and fell far short of the mark in consulting Indigenous peoples.

The fact that the NEB decided not to include in its review the impacts of marine tanker traffic– which it agreed would pose significant adverse effects to endangered orca whales – meant the government could not rely on the Board’s recommendation in making a decision. And because Canada failed to engage meaningfully with Indigenous peoples, the court ruled this consultation needs to be redone.

This is a stunning blow. And it offers the perfect opportunity for Prime Minister Trudeau to walk away from this pipeline and tankers.

But instead, he’s already doubled down his efforts to push this dangerous project through communities that do not consent.

Trudeau has asked the NEB to reconsider its recommendations – and he’s given it an incredibly tight 22-week timeline to do so.

To make matters worse, this hasty new review is already showing signs of the same flaws that were present in the original review. On September 26, the NEB announced the new review.

We did some digging and found out the NEB was misinforming people about this process.

But we found out that if you want to send a letter of comment on the project, you don’t need to apply and you don’t need to comment by October 3. This deadline is only people who want to apply to be an intervenor or comment on the scope and process of the review (which you should do too, if you can!)

After we pestered them all day, the NEB finally updated their website to correct the wrong info.

Photo by Brynne Morrice

It doesn’t look like the NEB has learned much from their past mistakes. Instead, it looks like they’re up to their old tricks and that we’ve got another sham process on our hands – a process destined for another predetermined outcome.

This is what happens when you do a rush job. We see no difference yet between this and Harper’s approach – they’re still trying to confuse people and deny participation.

Get a refresher on the flaws of the last NEB review with our “Credibility Crisis” report:https://bit.ly/2H6zm60

If the Trudeau government takes its commitment to reconciliation and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples seriously, then these rigged and superficial approaches need to become a thing of the past. Indigenous peoples have the right to free prior and informed consent – and they still do not consent.

It’s time for a more modern, democratic process that involves much closer scrutiny, especially of the many environmental, social and economic dangers posed by projects like this.

We are thrilled that the courts have overturned federal approval of this dangerous pipeline and tankers project that would have put so much at risk. But the fight is far from over.

We’ll be helping people ensure they are heard in this new process, and keeping a sharp eye on the NEB to ensure they don’t keep pulling more tricks. It’s still important to use this opportunity to raise your voice, and we hope you’ll participate by sending a letter of comment. Once more details are released on the process, we’ll be in touch about how you can have your say.

Say yes to orcas and salmon – donate now to help us keep fighting this pipeline and oil tankers.

“It’s time for Prime Minister Trudeau to walk away from this pipeline and tankers project. Today’s decision should be a lesson to politicians: your days of being servants to multinationals and fossil fuel corporations are coming to an end. We will no longer wait for climate justice.

“If the Trudeau government takes its commitment to reconciliation and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples seriously, then these rigged and superficial approaches must become a thing of the past. Indigenous peoples have the right to free prior and informed consent.

“The decision making processes have been rigged for too long. It’s time for a more modern, democratic process that subjects projects like this to much closer scrutiny, especially of the many environmental, social and economic dangers they pose.
“Fossil fuel infrastructure must be subject to a robust and thorough climate test that considers their impact on emissions and whether there are less carbon-intensive alternatives.”

Reaction from Sierra Club BC campaigns director Caitlyn Vernon:

“Today’s court ruling is a victory for orca whales, for our climate, for Indigenous peoples defending their title and rights, and for the rights of all of us to defend the land and waters we love and call home.

“We are thrilled that the courts have overturned federal approval of this dangerous pipeline and tankers project that would have put so much at risk.

“Climate leaders don’t build pipelines. It’s time for Trudeau to walk away from this dinosaur fossil fuel project and focus on building a clean energy economy instead. We can create more jobs by investing in renewable energy.”

Victoria / Tofino – Justin Trudeau and his family have vacationed on Vancouver Island in Tofino for the past three summers since he became the Prime Minister of Canada. Days after the Trudeau family’s current vacation started, on July 24th marine biologists observed a member of the endangered Salish Sea orcas, known as J35 or Tahlequah, swimming around carrying her dead newborn calf on her back. Nine days later and the pod of endangered orcas started taking turns floating the body of the calf who died more than week ago. Friday, August 3 marks the orcas the 11th day of mourning.

“Tahlequah is one of just 75 endangered southern resident whales and this calf was the first to be born in three years into the Salish Sea orca population, which is the same amount of time the Trudeaus have vacationed here,” said Jeh Custerra, Friends of Clayoquot Sound campaigner. “With Trudeau on the West Coast enjoying the environment that people have fought hard to protect he needs to understand that as Prime Minister of Canada his decisions, including buying the Trans Mountain pipeline, will exasperate serious issues here.”

In an effort to hold Trudeau accountable as a decision maker, Friends of Clayoquot Sound reached out to the South Island ecotourism operator, Ocean Ecoventures, to invite the Trudeaus on a reality tour to bear witness to the orcas’ mournful wake.

“We have been following the story of J-35’s grief with broken hearts. It is an overwhelming tragedy on our coast that should be a watershed moment where the plight of the orcas solidifies in the public consciousness as at a crisis point,” said Simon Pidcock, Head Captain of Ocean Ecoventures. “For the entirety of the currently ongoing grieving ritual, we have been discussing what we can do as a crew as we continue to learn updates about Talequah’s mourning. The idea of inviting Trudeau to observe comes as a welcome request to transform his understanding as a decision maker.”

The Salish Sea orcas are suffering from a lack of nutrition due to an absence of their dietary staple, Chinook salmon, which are serious decline due to climate change and environmental stress.

“The Trans Mountain expansion would increase oil tanker traffic in the Salish Sea by 700% and undermine Canada’s global climate change commitments,” said Eva Garofalo, Dogwood BC’s South Island Organizer. “Stopping this oil tanker expansion is critical for orcas, salmon, and the livelihoods of people on the West Coast. We can’t escape our interconnectedness.”

“The Salish Sea orcas are fighting for their lives every day. They don’t get to take vacations,” said Mark Worthing, Climate & Conservation Campaigner at Sierra Club BC. “No decision maker can have a fully informed perspective about the consequences of their actions until they witness the hardship of those most impacted. The Trans Mountain pipeline buyout completely undermines the new oceans protections plan and any efforts of the DFO to aid these endangered whales.

Sierra Club BC released the following statement from conservation and climate campaigner Mark Worthing as federal deadline passed without a buyer for the Trans Mountain pipeline:

“While Prime Minister Trudeau vacations on our beautiful coastline, he is putting that same coastline at risk by buying out the Trans Mountain pipeline and oil tankers project.

“The federal government said they would find investors for this failing project. But Kinder Morgan couldn’t find investors, that’s why they wanted out. Investors seem to understand what the federal government doesn’t: the economics don’t make sense for this project.

“While Kinder Morgan cashes in, public funds that should be used to transition our energy economy are being blown through reckless political jockeying and short sighted economics.

“It doesn’t matter who owns this pipeline, the risks are still the same. And the roadblocks it faces are still the same too. First Nations, municipalities and non-governmental organizations are in court fighting to defend this coast and the courts will decide soon.

“British Columbians will remember this betrayal on October 21, 2019. Buying a tar sands pipeline in the middle of a climate crisis is unforgivable.

“Wasting public resources on a pipeline that faces such stark opposition from Indigenous peoples is profoundly unethical and completely undermines the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

“The answer has always been no. From the boreal forests of Athabasca Chipewyan territory, to the many rivers this pipeline illegally crosses in Secwepemc territory, to the Tsleil-Waututh waters of Slilwat where Trudeau threatens us with more oil tankers, the answer is still no. The people of British Columbia stand alongside Indigenous land and water protectors.

“I wish I could say this isn’t my prime minister. I wish I could say this isn’t my pipeline. But as a non-Indigenous person living in Canada, this is a dark reminder that we need to take responsibility for the colonial injustices that our governments continue to commit in our name.

“This government promised to end fossil fuel subsidies and champion the clean economy. Yet they are spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money to buy out a tar sands pipeline that would decimate our most progressive climate targets and threaten British Columbia’s coast.”

Since Kinder Morgan’s announcement on April 9th to halt all “non-essential activities and related spending” on the Trans Mountain pipeline and oil tankers project, we have been on a wild ride.

May 31st became the highly anticipated deadline for the federal government to provide Kinder Morgan with certainty that the pipeline could be built without further delays or additional costs to shareholders. The alternative? Kinder Morgan walks away.

The reality? Kinder Morgan did walk away, but with a cheque for $4.5 billion after selling their leaky, 60 year old pipeline (which they purchased for $550 million in 2007) to the federal government. Kinder Morgan’s top executives walked away with a $1.5 million bonus each, and Canadian taxpayers are left to foot the bill. What a deal.

Trudeau says his cabinet decided to use $4.5 billion of taxpayers’ money to buy Kinder Morgan’s pipeline after the company told his government that the project was a “risky” investment. So now we own it. Makes sense right?

Canadians are financially responsible not just for a pipeline and tankers project many opposed in the first place, but for the costs of cleaning it up when an oil spill happens…and this pipeline has a history of spills.

Folks all across Canada are outraged -and it’s gaining international attention. Trudeau has betrayed the public’s trust by breaking multiple campaign promises. What of his commitments to reconciliation? His international commitments to address climate change? His promise to stop government support for fossil fuels?

Trudeau is frequently quoted saying: “it’s the communities that grant permission — the government can only grant permits.” But there is a gaping lack of permission from communities who oppose this pipeline and tanker project, as it threatens the vitality of BC’s coast, its communities, endangered species such as the southern resident orca whales, and tramples Indigenous rights and title.

In response to the $4.5 billion announcement, crowds gathered at the Inner Harbour on Lkwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ territories on May 31st to protest the federal government’s pipeline and oil tanker buyout.

Sierra Club BC’s Caitlyn Vernon had the opportunity to speak, and addressed the crowd with an animated and informative speech, which you can both watch and read below!

We would like to extend our gratitude to all of the organizers, speakers, Elders, and community members who came out to voice their opposition and remind Trudeau that this pipeline will not be built.

We would also like to thank everyone who participated in the National Day of Action against the buyout on June 4th. United, we are stronger, and we aren’t backing down.

What a crowd. It seems that prime minister Trudeau may have underestimated the degree to which we love this coast and will protect it!

Let’s talk about what the heck is going on? This week there have been tears. And anger.

And also this: We sent Kinder Morgan back to Texas! We were too much for them, so Kinder Morgan wanted out. They knew we were going to stop this pipeline from ever being built, and stop these tankers.

Of course now they are laughing their way to the bank. KM bought the existing pipeline in 2007 for about $550 million. Trudeau just bought the same 60 year old, leaky, pipeline for 4.5 billion.

What a terrible deal. What an act of desperation.

It’s outrageous to use public funds to bail out a multinational corporation, when we could be creating more jobs by investing in a clean energy economy instead.

4.5 billion, when 3.2 billion could ensure clean drinking water in First Nations communities across Canada. Tells you where his priorities lie.

The govt says they will find investors to buy the pipeline. But KM couldn’t find investors, that’s why they wanted out.

Investors seem to understand what the federal govt doesn’t:

– the economics aren’t there for this project.

– It faces a BC govt standing up to defend our communities from the risk of bitumen spills.

– It faces multiple indigenous legal challenges, any one of which could overturn project approval.

– And it faces us.

Do you love this coast?! Will you do what it takes to protect it!?

I am with you. Take notice, investors. We aren’t going anywhere.

If the feds can’t sell the thing, we the taxpayers would be paying to build it, to the tune of 17 billion dollars!

Just imagine… 17 billion could implement a national pharmacare program, or $15 dollar a day daycare across Canada.

If you had any doubt that we live in a petrostate… well, the masks are off. Our prime minister is now CEO of an oil company.

The double speak coming from federal politicians is astounding.

They talk about indigenous reconciliation but then try to push a pipeline across unceded territories, without consent.

They talk about climate action but this pipeline would enable expansion of the tar sands and release so much carbon it would make it impossible to meet our Paris climate commitments.

They say 400 oil tankers a year carrying diluted bitumen past our home will somehow make this coast a safer place.

I call BS.

We are here today so the Coldwater nation in the interior can have clean drinking water. We are here for the salmon, and the endangered orca whales that would likely go extinct, even without an oil spill, just from the noise of the tankers.

We are here because indigenous rights are human rights. We are here for the 98,000 jobs that depend on a healthy coast.

We are here because a tanker spill of diluted bitumen would be impossible to clean up.

We are here because this year the wildfires started before the flooding had ended and I don’t know about you but I find climate change terrifying. This is about our very survival.

It doesn’t matter if it’s the KM pipeline or the Trudeau pipeline, the risks are still the same.

It doesn’t matter who owns it, or how much he smiles, no STILL means no!

We are not alone.

– First Nations are in court, saying no

– members of the Tsleil-Waututh nation are at the Watchhouse in Burnaby, saying no

– The Secwepemc women warriors are building tiny houses along the pipeline route, saying no

– All the hundreds who have been arrested, are saying no

– the youth in Vancouver who walked out of school and took to the streets, are saying no

– In the past couple weeks, there have been rallies in Quebec and in Seattle. Over 230 org’s from 44 countries sent a letter to Trudeau, opposing this pipeline.

The world is watching. The world is waking up to the fact that Trudeau’s actions are a betrayal of his words.

We know how to stop a pipeline. We stopped Enbridge, we can stop Trudeau’s pipeline also.

The game has changed, and it won’t be easy, but we can do it.

Remember all that we are saying yes to. Remember that stopping these tankers, and doing something about climate change, is an act of love.

Look after yourself. Stay grounded in this beautiful place we call home.